"He always had great body control, and he was lean, with impeccable mechanics with smooth action," said Tory Humphrey, one of Freeland's coaches at Thomas Jefferson. "And a competitor."

Freeland said he throws a four-pitch mix — with a four-seam fastball as his primary pitch and a slider as his out pitch. And in Freeland, the Rockies picked a pitcher familiar with pitching at altitude.

Advertisement

"I grew up throwing in it — had success doing it, especially in high school. I'm not afraid of it. I'm looking to take it head on," Freeland said.

Rockies director of scouting Bill Schmidt said Freeland is above average on two pitches with put-down power.

"Kyle is a two plus-pitch left-hander who's a strike thrower," Schmidt said. "He's a Colorado kid, and we're excited to bring him into the organization."

The Rockies drafted 18-year-old second baseman Forrest Wall out of Orangewood Christian high school in Florida with the 35th pick. Wall committed to play at North Carolina before the draft. He is the highest-drafted high school second baseman in the draft's modern history. Originally a shortstop, he underwent labrum surgery in his left shoulder in 2011 and returned as a second baseman.

With the 48th pick in the draft, the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Ryan Castellani, 18, of Brophy Prep in Arizona. He committed to play for Arizona State.

In a pitcher-heavy draft, the Chicago Cubs made a surprise pick at No. 4, taking power-hitting catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber. The Minnestoa Twins followed with shortstop Nick Gordon and the Seattle Mariners at No. 6 took outfielder Alex Jackson. That left an extra pitcher available for the Rockies at No. 8.

The Philadlephia Phillies at No. 7 drafted LSU right-hander Aaron Nola, the SEC pitcher of the year. That made Freeland available for a homecoming with the Rockies at No. 8.

The Houston Astros took left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken of Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) High School with the first selection in the draft.

Freeland is the fourth pitcher in the past six years drafted by the Rockies with their top pick. He joins right-hander Jon Gray (2013), left-hander Tyler Anderson (2011) and left-hander Tyler Matzek (2009).

Arms race

The Rockies selected two pitchers with their three picks Thursday, the first day of the Major League Baseball draft:

No. 8 pick (first round)

Kyle Freeland, left-handed pitcher

University of Evansville

21 years old, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds

A former standout at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver, Freeland went 10-2 with a 1.90 ERA in his junior year at Evansville. ... Had 128 strikeouts and issued only 13 walks this season. ... Four-pitch repertoire (four-seam fastball, slider, curveball and changeup).

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

PARIS (AP) — Bye, New York! Ciao, Milan! Bonjour, Paris! The world's largest traveling circus of fashion editors, models, buyers and journalists has descended on the French capital, clutching their metro maps and city guides, to cap the ready-to-wear fashion season. Full Story